I Promise
by Lesprit-de-escalier
Summary: 3 months after the events that happened on Yamatai, the crew of the Endurance had gone their separate ways. All but two, that is. One quirky filmmaker, and one hardened survivor. Lara x Sam, because she's not on the character drop down list. EDIT: She's on the drop down list now. Haha.


_The events that occurred on the lost island of Yamatai would be forever burned into our memories, and our hearts. God, Roth. He was a good guy. He was like a father figure to Lara. She looked up to him, and if there's anyone she should have looked up to, I'd choose him myself. He trained her, taught her everything she needed to know in order to conquer that awful place. I wish he just… I wish he were still here. For Lara and Reyes' sake at the very least. And oh, that Alex. That guy was always making me laugh, and aaaalways trying to get Lara's attention. I doubt she noticed, but I certainly did. It's a real shame, but he died a hero. If he were with us right now as a ghost, he'd say how at the very least, he died in a cool ass way. Haha, his words, not mine. Grim was always a fun motherfucker. He had some backbone to him. Never took anyone's shit for anything! Boat ride home sure was quiet without him. Ugh, Whitman, fuck that guy. I mean I'm not saying I'm glad he kicked the bucket, but shit, way to make things harder for us. Still, rest in peace I guess. What a wild ride it all was. I was only there to catch half the action, but believe me; I'm sure I wouldn't have wanted to see the entire thing. I can't say the same for Lara. I don't think she could have left that island without really finding out what happened there. Without her, I'd be dead. Or worse, I'd be some evil Queen holding captive an entire island of wreckage survivors. _

_She's amazing. She's the most incredible person I've come to know. The days she spends with me mean more to me than she'll probably ever realize._

3 months after the events on Yamatai, the remaining crew of the Endurance went their separate ways. Jonah returned to his sister's café in Ngapuhi, resuming his position as chef. Reyes returned to her daughter with a tale as long and as incredible as one of Tolkien's works; her story centered on the brave heroine that saved an island of people and her own crew, with the help of the brave hero whom fathered Alisha. Lara and Sam however, currently, but not permanently, reside at Sam's condo in London.

Sam awoke groggily, the early evening light shining through the curtains. Laying her forearm over her eyes, she sighed heavily, unwilling to fully shake the sleep away. She heard the unmistakable sound of a page turning, and smiled to herself.

"Have you been reading the entire time I was napping? Geez."

The hardened survivor chuckled, "It was only a couple of hours. And I finished that chapter on ancient canid domestication a while ago. Now I'm looking into this incredible find in New Mexico… Look at this," Lara shifted her position from her previous reclining to sitting upright, "they said they found some sort of ancient device after a nuclear explosion cleared the debris! Astounding…"

Lara continued to sigh to herself at the most recent and buzzing news in the archaeological world, while Sam rolled her eyes.

"So are you gonna go check this out now? Is this your thing or something? You go looking for the most insane old piece of history you can get your hands on? Because if so, you need to document everything."

Sam leaned over to the bedside table and picked up her camcorder. Turning it on, she placed the center of her world, at the center of the shot. Toned, muscular arms from climbing and carrying weapons, scars from injuries and the terrain scattered all over lightly colored skin. The exterior of a true warrior. A true survivor. And yet, the shoulders look so inviting. The collarbone, trailing up to the neck looking ever so supple. Long locks of dark brown hair, tied up in a neat yet messy ponytail. Soft cheeks, softer lips, and the softest eyes, eyes skimming over the latest headlines of the newspaper her slender fingers were holding. _You need to document… everything._

Lara finally took her eyes off the pages long enough to notice the older girl staring at her through the lens.

"Ahem! What do you think you're doing?" Lara says playfully as she grabs the camcorder and hides it behind her.

"I'm documenting, duh! Whaddya expect? This is going to be a feature length film, you know. Gotta get shots of the explorer in her cozy environment first. Really gives the people a connection to you, you know? Now give me that back."

The black haired girl struggles to retrieve her possession, trying to grab at it quickly, but the brunette is simply too fast to react. Sam lets out an exaggerated sigh and sits back on her calves. Something suddenly clicks in her head, and a mischievous smile appears on her lips.

Lara's expression changes. "Oh, I know that look. Don't you dare, Sam," she scoots away a little, but deep down, it's not like she actually wants to escape. She secretly loved the predatory look Sam gets in her eyes when she wants something.

Sam inches closer to Lara, slowly creeping her hands across the sheets to find Lara's knees. They travel upward towards the hips, upward still, crawling under her buttoned up shirt and making contact with the soft skin of her sides. The brunette reacts as expected, a sharp hitch of the breath at the feeling of cold hands on her body. A pair of lips make contact with her throat, light butterfly kisses landing an inch apart from the last. Lara utters a quiet laugh and takes the girl's hands out from under her shirt, placing a kiss on them before setting them down on the bed.

"That won't work on me every time, Samantha Nishimura. You've got to come up with some new tactics, or I might actually get bored with you," Lara smirks and gently pushes Sam's shoulder.

"Bored?! Psssh yeah okay. You wish, Croft." Sam fell back on the bed with a thud, burying her arms under the cool side of the pillow. She felt a jolt of pressure when her camcorder was plopped on her stomach. "Thank you, my darling," she chimed. Lara made a kissy face at the sarcastic thank you.

Sam opened the camcorder and looked through the old recordings. A lot of them were from when they were still on the Endurance, on their way to the Dragon's Triangle. A lot of shots were actually outtakes, Whitman not cooperating or Jonah getting camera shy. She felt a little dejected looking at the footage. She flipped through more of the archived footage and found quite a number of them starring her favorite female. Her heart fluttered at the sight of one Miss Lara Croft; it was footage from months ago, while they were still in university. She remembers the situation like it was yesterday.

"Can I show you something?" Sam asked innocently as she sat up right.

"Of course you can, but what is it?"

"Here. It's… uh. It's some recordings. Of you, mostly. I hope you don't mind, I know you didn't really like it when I had you on camera, but I just couldn't resist. It's like you were an elusive creature or something, so I just… Sorry." Sam rubbed her arm, waiting for at least a somewhat angry Lara to lash out at her, but what came was unexpected.

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me about these. You're not very sneaky, you know," she leaned over and gave Sam a quick kiss on the cheek.

A relieved Sam slung her arm over her girlfriend's neck to pull her closer, and she pressed play on the video Lara had left on the screen.

_"This is exciting, isn't it? Our very first overseas adventure together. It's gonna be so frickin' fun! I just want you to know—Lara. Lara? Hey, hey Earth to Lara, come in please? Damn girl put the books down for once!"_

_The budding archaeologist closed the book she was skimming and set it aside, retracting her feet from off the edge of the desk. "Sorry, Sam, I guess I was just really into it." She smiled at her friend kindly._

_"Into it? If I didn't know any better, I swear those things were sucking your soul out." _

_Lara laughed warmly, "I guess you're going to have to come and snap me out of my trance, hmm? Miss Videographer?"_

The shot shakes a little more, and is cut off from there. Lara slides over to the next clip and presses play, nestling into a more comfortable position in the older girl's arms.

_Lara is sitting on the stern of the ship, overlooking the ocean to the scene of a beautiful sunset. She mutters to herself, "I wonder if this is the right thing… No. No, I feel it in my gut. This is right. The lost kingdom is there. I just know it. I hope.."_

_She gets up and walks to the railing and hops up onto the first tier, looking down into the water._

_"It's a long way down from here. One wrong move, and I go over. Like this expedition. If I'm wrong, then tons of money, time and effort will be pissed away. Oh God, please let me be right. Please."_

Lara presses the stop button during this shot. Not wanting to recall the memories of that frightened, inexperienced young woman in the video, she slides through more of the footage. Her fingers land on a still of her in her dorm. Puzzled, she presses play while Sam looks on in embarrassment. _Hahaha ohhh shit I'm in trouble._

_The video starts out shakily, but it becomes apparent that whoever is holding the camera, they're walking down a hallway quickly and with a purpose. The angle is showing the right knee of the holder, indicating that the camcorder was probably being slung from the waist, or behind a bag of some sort. The camera holder stops in front a door, and reluctantly knocks a few times._

_The door opens, "Hey you! I thought I'd be all alone studying tonight," the brunette welcomes the black haired girl into her room._

_"And miss out on the party? Not a chance! Just running a little late, that's all._

_Lara sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to clear away all of the study guides and textbooks cluttering up the rest of the space. "Ugh, this final is going to be a real killer. Honestly, the least of my worries right now is whether or not The Alien Land Act of 1913 was applicable to Indian immigrants. This class is so frustrating sometimes, when I know there are other things I could be doing, other things I could be reading, or researching, or examining."_

_While Lara was ranting, the camcorder was stealthily set down on the desk, lens getting a clear shot of the bed._

_"Stop, stop stoooop with the History talk, okay? Aren't you going to be an archaeologist soon? I thought you were supposed to jizz over history and all that stuff."_

_"This is different history. This is hardly relevant to what I want to do, you know that! I just want this Thursday to pass already, so we can relax."_

Lara's eyes widened at the scene. This is one video she didn't know—rather, she didn't _think_ Sam would take. She suddenly remembers everything that happened that night, and an overwhelming rush of lust poured over her entire body. She knows she should probably shut the camera off, but what the hell, she admits that this is actually pretty hot.

_Sam appeared on the screen and took a seat next to Lara, taking her hand. "You know, you already have an A in that stupid class. You can relax now, if you want…" Sam leaned in to steal a kiss, and retreated back to her original position, waiting for a reply._

_A second later, the screen shows a very dominant Lara ravaging a very surprised Sam, clothes being ripped off—_

Sam slammed the camcorder shut, "O-o-okay I think that's enough showing you my videos for one day, don't you think?" stutters the now flush-cheeked girl.

Lara sat unmoving, trying to process the fact that Sam had actually taped their relations, and… And she hasn't even removed it from her camcorder yet! The whole damn crew could have seen it already for all she knows. She turned to face her girlfriend, who was now trying to look around for a scapegoat to the situation.

"You're… you're not mad, are you?" She asked skittishly.

That innocent look got her just as much as the predation look did. That vulnerable state she was in, those beautiful eyes looking at her with such uncertainness, it simply drove Lara nuts. One more little thing, and she probably couldn't contain the absolute carnal desire she was feeling. Sam grabbed hold of Lara's right hand, and that was the cue Lara was waiting for.

The brunette yanked her hand from Sam's grip and took hold of both her wrists, pinning them down against the bed, Sam gasping in surprise. Lara took the opportunity to straddle the other girl's waist, making sure to restrict any and all movement coming from beneath her.

The pair stared into each other eyes for what seemed like eternity, with each passing moment only a moment more for their love for each other to build and build and build and build. The look of passion was readable from a mile away on both their faces, waiting for the other to make the first move.

It was the Croft who went in for the kill, with an extremely rough kiss, sloppily shoving her tongue into the other girl's mouth, who happily complied with the polite request. The kiss became slower and a lot more sensual, filled with emotion. Lara took the time to make sure to explore every crevice and corner of Sam's mouth. Lara broke the kiss, smirking, and descended to the neck region. She used her right hand to cup the other side of Sam's neck while she nipped at the skin, licking sucking gently to mark her. Sam let out a barely audible moan in response to the attention, while moving her hands nimbly to unbutton Lara's shirt and pants.

Of course, she didn't get very far with her struggle before Lara took hold of both Sam's wrists yet again, stopping the undressing.

A confused and slightly hurt Sam looked up at her gorgeous lover, "W-what's wrong?"

Lara placed a kiss on Sam's forehead to calm her down. "Just relax. I think you deserve a lot more attention from me than I do from you."

"Aaaand that's where you're wrong, Lara, and that is also where I stop you."

"Wh—?!"

The tides were turned when the raven-haired girl shoved the taller brunette by her shoulders over to the other side of the bed and quickly mounted her. She is very aware that the Croft girl is now immensely stronger than she was but half a year ago, and it takes all of her weight just to get her to hold still.

"Listen, sweetie, you deserve a hell of a lot more attention than I do, believe me. You're… you're always the one to give. Always the one helping or saving other people. Taking care of other people. You're so strong, Lara, and I absolutely love that about you. All your courage, determination, passion, ruggedness… I love it. I love you." Sam gently caressed Lara's cheek, and received an interlocking of fingers in response. "Now, if you please Miss Mighty Adventurer, sit back and enjoy the ride."

A suddenly aggressive Samantha made way for even more aggressive trail of kisses from the neck down to the collarbone. Sam's wandering hands roam from shoulders to back underneath the unbuttoned portion of Lara's shirt, resuming her conquest to undress her lover. Lara excitedly complied by shedding both the over shirt and tank top she'd been wearing, and tossing them to the floor. Sam had to take a moment to lean back onto Lara's hips and admire her girlfriend's body. Shit, she was lucky as hell.

"Damn, Lara… But still, something's off," Sam quizzically muttered. Lara tried reading her face for some type of clue as to what she was wondering, but the answer became clear when Sam reached behind Lara's head and released her hair from the ponytail she'd been wearing all day. Dark brown strands of hair fell gracefully onto her shoulders, the fringe sexily framing Lara's face in the dim lighting.

"You look incredible with your hair the way you always wear it, but sometimes you just gotta let your hair down, baby."

Lara breathed a soft laugh in reply. "You're such a charmer."

Sam beamed and continued traveling down Lara's body. Her hands crawled underneath the last of the fabric covering Lara's chest, hesitatingly cupping the supple breasts. A sharp hitch of the breath could be heard from the heroine, as well as displaced, tiny moans each time Sam rubbed her the right way. Getting impatient, Sam finally unhooked the bra and tossed it onto the now growing pile of Lara's clothes on the ground. She licked circles around the breast for what seemed like ages to Lara, and eventually closed her lips around a nipple. Lara's moans were growing louder and more frequent, no longer able to hide just how excited she really was. Lara ran her fingers through Sam's hair, every now and then scratching at the scalp whenever she felt a small nip.

"Oh my God, Sam…" mumbled Lara, in almost a whisper at this point.

Oh how she loved hearing Lara so vulnerable. Clearly smirking now, Sam relinquished Lara's breasts from their torture, and continued to move downward.

Lara could feel Sam's lips grazing her stomach, wasting little time moving down to the top of her pants. She felt nimble fingers swiftly unzip the pants and lifted her hips to aid Sam in removing them. With nothing left but her undergarment on, Lara couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious.

The feeling was mutual, as Sam grew increasingly nervous with every passing second. To ease the tension, Sam lowered her head down to Lara's inner thighs, paying careful attention to the smooth and sensitive skin. Swapping kisses with licks and bites, she heard Lara's motivating sounds fill her ears. Sam ignored the pleading whimpers and continued the slow assault on her thighs, much to the behest of her girlfriend. A low "Come on, Sam" reached her ears, and Sam decided that would be enough foreplay for now, unless she wanted to be at the receiving end of a frustrated and horny Lara Croft. Sitting back on her calves once more, she took the opportunity to shed the black leather jacket she'd somehow worn to sleep and tossed it onto the nearby armchair. She stared down at Lara's awaiting body with a fire in her eyes unlike Lara has ever seen before. Sam finally took initiative, took hold of both sides of Lara's underwear, and removed them in one quick motion.

The sight that lay before her was breathtaking. Her girlfriend, that's right, girlfriend, Lara Croft, lying naked in her bed, glistening with sweat, aching to be touched already. Any guy would kill to be in her position. Hell, they almost did during the parties back at university. Especially at the clubs, Lara was always the most popular with both the men and the women. And yet, she chose Sam. Out of all the people in the world, she chose simple filmmaker Samantha Nishimura.

Lara's expression showed impatience, and even a bit of annoyance. Sam took no more of their precious time together staring, and spread Lara's legs even further apart, causing the Croft girl to yelp in surprise. Sam took Lara into her mouth and waited for the response; she was not disappointed. Unable to contain her yearning any longer, Lara cried out loudly into the night, grasping and twisting the bed sheets around her. Sam took her time playing with the nub, once again interchanging playful bites with quick sucks and licks. Lara reacted violently, forcefully grabbing a fistful of Sam's hair, urging the girl strongly to cut the shit and get to the point. A few more moments at the most sensitive spot on her lover's body, and Sam dipped her tongue into the opening. Lara is now bucking her hips, trying to be calm but at the same time trying to enhance her pleasure as she is being driven into the throes of passion.

"Oh, ohhh ahh, ahh—please, please Sam, deeper! Fuck, just finish it already!"

Still ignoring the requests, Sam knows damn well that Lara wants it finished quickly. That was how she was. Always wanting something done thoroughly, quickly, and correctly. Unfortunately for the young archaeologist, "quickly" was not going to be crossed off the list of what she had planned for her tonight.

Sam continued to dip her tongue in and out of the pink cave, enduring the thrashing Lara above her. Sam positioned Lara's thighs over her shoulders, which cued the taller girl to lock her legs around Sam's neck for leverage. _You're almost there, babe, just a little longer._

Even more wildly Lara thrashed about, feeling the jolts of ecstasy rush through her like an angry tidal wave. She knew she was getting close. Hell, all of London knew she was getting close.

A few more moments of Sam's expert ministrations, and Lara had been thrown over the edge. The energy of an intense orgasm ripped through her being with an incredibly surreal, almost supernatural force. She let out a loud cry of pleasure, her vision blanking out white for that moment. Her volume lowered slightly as her body tried calming itself down after the ordeal, with little success as Sam went on massaging Lara's lower region with her tongue.

Sam placed a few more loving kisses up Lara's stomach all the way to her forehead. "Rest easy, my love."

_No one could ever love only Lara. To love Lara, is to love her work. What she does, what she strives to do, it's all a part of who she is. You have to love the trips to uncharted territories that take up months of the year, those long, dangerous expeditions across rocky cliff-faces, and those diving journeys to the deepest depths of the ocean. You've got to love the chair she sits in and the desk she sits at, scribbling down her findings and reading all her books. The smell of dirt on her clothes, her closet full of excavation tools, her sometimes irrelevant ramblings about sites and digs and other things that nobody except her will ever care about. To love Lara Croft, is to love the spirit of adventure. The determination of a warrior. The courage of all those who have went looking for something they may never find. But I think I can do it. No, I will do it. I will love you, Lara Croft, and no matter how long I will have to go without holding you in my arms, no matter how much I might want you to stay with me over the holidays just to make sure you're safe and home for Christmas and you still leave, I will love you. I promise._


End file.
